A deadly group for Team USA at the 2014 World Cup

The sorting is done. The magic is about to begin. And now each team knows its fate. The official World Cup draw was held today in Brazil ahead of next year's tournament and it wasn't favorable for the Americans. Their group G includes Ghana, Germany and Portugal.

What do we mean by this?

Drama: First game is versus Ghana, the perennial enemy of the United States in official FIFA competitions, at least for the last 8 years. In 2006 their 2-1, after Dempsey equalized, sent the US packing with just 1 point and only 1 goal scored. In 2010 Ghana had Asamoah Gyan and Kevin Prince Boateng to dismantle Bob Brdaley's weak defense and a hole down the middle after Ricardo Clark's early yellow. It doesn't end there. Bob Bradley managed to lose to them while coaching Egypt in the decisive play-in match in Accra by 6-1. In Cairo the 2-1 was not enough.

Some glamor: Second game is Portugal, with CR7, a.k.a. Cristiano Ronaldo will be eager to avenge the 3-2 shock-loss to the United States in 2002, which made for a magical run to the quarterfinals in Korea/Japan. Now, for the media in the country and the casual soccer fans, this is a great game. 

Revenge: The final match is Germany, the perennial favorites. They are without trophy since 1990 and currently boast incredible talent: Mesut Ozil, Mario Gomez, Thomas Muller, Sami Khedira, Jerome Boateng come to mind. Germany also ended the magical run of 2002 thanks to a goal by Michael Ballack and a non-call that should have been a penalty in favor of the Americans.

So what are the tactics? Africa, Africa, Africa. Klinsmann will need to prepare for the African attack and he might want to play a couple of official matches versus Nigeria or Cameroon or Ivory Coast. Klinsmann is never one to shy away from taking chances in unusual friendlies and this game will be the key to this group. If US defeats Ghana then points versus Germany and Portugal wouldn't be unheard of.

Second is perhaps Portugal. The Portuguese haven't been the steamrollers they once were when Figo was still playing. They are, perhaps, a one-man team with CR7 doing most of the work. If he's out then the team is vulnerable. Hence the struggles in qualifying with a tie versus Israel and a disappointing second-place finish.

So how does Klinsmann feel about playing Germany last in this group of death? Excited, he says. Terrifying for the rest of us fans. Does the United States go into this match with an absolute need for a win? Will Germany need a win just as much? Can Beasley or Brad Evans stop Ozil and Muller and Julian Draxler? 

Nate Silver of the ESPN Soccer Power Index put it all in statistical terms. Germany almost sure to get out of the group (92% chance), but USA (39%) and Portugal (40%) dead even and Ghana (29%) lagging behind. Us Yanks hope this holds true.

Alexi Lalas had it right when he said that the soccer Gods give and also take away. The 2010 draw was a gift with Slovenia and Algeria as the lower-seeded teams, with only England as the difficult squad. This time the US has a chance to do something special simply by getting out of this group of death. Ever since 1990, every other World Cup has been a dud: 1990, 1998, 2006. The magic happened in 1994, 2002 and 2010. Coincidence or crazy superstition? Can 2014 break this cycle?

2013 was a great year for the national team: wins in the Hexagonal and the Gold Cup and great friendlies versus Germany, Russia and Bosnia. Added to this are new names like Diskerud, Bedoya, Corona and Johannsson. Klinsmann has a chance to prove why this American crew is special and only he can make us believe.

South Africa 2010: the draw

The excitement began today. The party is underway. What will this world cup be like? Here is a quick look at the groups and who has it easier/harder and what surprises we can see. Throughout the time leading up to the tournament, I will post a more personal look at each of the teams, their structure, history, players and memories.

• Group A: South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay, France. It's hard to imagine France not winning this group, but 2002 proved that it could happen (loss to Senegal and ties to Denmark and Uruguay. You can argue that Mexico has it easy to be the second team to make it through. Uruguay is a dangerous team that can surprise any established squad. Then there's South Africa. Clearly the weakest African team in the tournament...but they are at home. Never underestimate home field advantage (think USA in 1994).
• Group B: Argentina, Nigeria, S. Korea, Greece. This group is almost a mirror image of the 1994 group that included Bulgaria instead of Korea. Argentina should win this group, but Maradona's squad has lost to much weaker teams recently. Nigeria struggled to enter the World Cup, but they have the history and the players to dominate any team. Greece is the new Italy, with it's superb, albeit boring, defensive style. Korea has the speed and agility to create chances.
• Group C: England, USA, Algeria, Slovenia. This is the "easiest" group the US has had in recent memory but I will give much more details on this on future posts. England should claim victory in this group, but they are prone to injury and much weaker without Gerard, Lampard and Beckham. Algeria is in a World Cup for the first time since 1986. They aren't a terribly strong squad but they have a certain African pedigree that could help them go the distance. Slovenia is arguably the weakest European team, but as they showed versus Russia in the UEFA playoffs, they have the ability to overcome stronger teams.
• Group D: Germany, Australia, Serbia, Ghana. Group of death #1. Germany is the strongest team, but they aren't too far ahead of the others. Serbia has history on their side but they match up equally against Australia and Ghana. The Australian "socceroos" have players in major leagues making the difference in those teams (Kewel, Viduka, Shwartz) and they aren't a weak team anymore. Ghana isn't as strong as they were in '06, but they still have dominant men like Michael Essien pulling the strings.
• Group E: Netherlands, Denmark, Japan, Cameroon. This is a fun group to watch. It could be considered group of death "light" since they are all quite accomplished sides. Holland are likely to win this group thanks to Kuyt, Snejder, Van Persie and company. Denmark is another strong squad that booted out Sweden and forced Portugal into the playoffs. Japan, like S. Korea, has the speed to surprise the opposing defense. Cameroon struggled to enter the tournament but they have the history of being a difficult team to play against.
• Group F: Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand, Slovakia. A relatively weak group for the Azzurri. Paraguay should also be able to overcome a much weaker "kiwi" team and another weak European team. New Zealand is possibly the weakest team in the tournament, whilst Slovakia can be another toss-up.
• Group G: Brazil, N. Korea, Cote d'Ivoire, Portugal. Group of death #2. Apart from N. Korea, all three teams have a chance at advancing through to the next round. This will likely come down to scoring plenty against the Koreans for the Ivorians, Brazilians and Portuguese. It's also about getting a result against the stronger teams. Portugal is one of the few countries that has beaten Brazil in recent memory. The Ivorians are one of the strongest teams in the world (Drogba, Kalou, Toure) and they could go the distance. Brazil is just what it is--Brazil.
• Group H: Spain, Switzerland, Honduras, Chile. Spain is the best team on the planet and I can see them getting all nine points here. Switzerland are a bit of a mystery but with excellent players. Chile has a squad to reach the quarterfinals, given the right results. Honduras aren't pushovers anymore. Players like Suazo, Costly, Palacios and Guevara mark the difference.